Safe
by SilverMidnight52
Summary: When a device goes missing Stark and Carter go searching for it. What they find is nothing like what they expected. Warnings inside.


I was looking at Transgender art work on Deviantart last night before I went to bed and this thought came to mind. I have no idea how it turned out, but I hope you all like it.

There's talk about abuse in this story.

I own nothing. Please review and enjoy!

* * *

"I'm sorry, Dr. Stark," Fargo whimpered, "I have no idea where the device went or when anyone took it."

Holding back a growl I placed my pen on my desk and glared at the younger man. Was it really all that easy for a secured facility such as G.D. to continually had things stolen from it?

The latest device was one that I had shelved over a year ago and scientist that worked on the project wasn't even working at G.D. let alone in Eureka for the past ten months.

That meant that someone had found out about the device broken in, stole it, and then left. Sadly, the only person, that was in Eureka, that knew what the device did and how to use it was me.

This was not what I thought I'd be doing when I agreed to be the Head of G.D. Actually, I had no idea what I had been thinking agreeing to it, but I was never one to back down.

Now I was stuck with bureaucratic nonsense that I hated and I rarely got to do my own experiments. I never knew how much I would miss working with my hands on something that I built instead of helping with someone else.

"Have you looked everywhere?" I questioned.

"Yes, Sir," Fargo nodded quickly, "I looked everywhere for the device. I can't find it. What should…What exactly should I do?"

"Call Sheriff Carter. Catch him up to speed and make him do the leg work. Now go."

As I watched my assistant fly out of my office I realized how much I truly hated saying that name. Mostly because I said it for one of two reasons. One, I was insulting the man. Two, I was calling on him because I needed his help.

That was something else that I hated. Admitting that I needed help. I was the person in charge of this building, its people, and its projects and still things managed to slip past me.

Shaking my head I looked down at the file Fargo had handed me moments before. If this device got into the wrong hands. Then again in the right hands this device was just as dangerous.

It had seemed like a good idea when it first crossed my desk. A small device that would possibly do a lot of good in the world, but there had been a few complication that we couldn't fix.

"Stark," Carter announced walking into my office, "Fargo said we have a missing experiment? How badly could this end?"

"Very," I admitted, "I'll explain this in terms you can understand. We had one of our psychologist working on a device that would help Transgender people."

"Help them how?"

"It would change their genetic makeup into that of opposite sex so they could see if that it truly what they wanted before they had the operation. We were able to do that, but when we tried to change them back there were some complications."

"Such as?"

"Organs and body parts shrinking, disappearing all together, or rupturing. We were never able to successfully change a person back and the affect only last one week. When that week ended the same thing happened."

"So, whoever the person uses this device on they're going to die."

"Yes."

"Let's find it. Have you gone through the security footage?"

"Yes, and nothing was there. Someone must have hacked the system."

"Well, who has the ability and isn't here?"

Seeing where the younger man was going with this I started to look through the files on my computer searching for the person. It was no surprise to me when I came up with one name.

Zane Donovan.

I had no idea why that man would steal this device, but I doubted that it was for anything good. Zane had a lot of potential in him. If he'd ever lose that childish need for anarchy he would get far in the world.

It seemed Carter thought the same way I did. As soon as I said his name the Sheriff rolled his eyes and started to make his way out of my office. Quickly I shut everything down and followed him.

Neither of us spoke a word as we made our way towards Zane's house which left me a lot of time to think. Why would Zane want to take a device that temporarily changed what sex you were?

The only thing that came to mind was some sort of prank, but that didn't make any sense. The man loved wreaking havoc on people. He did not want anyone to end up dead because of said havoc.

If he stole the device he would have stolen the research that went with it and that would be enough for him to put the device back and forget whatever he had been planning.

No, he was trying to fix it. But why? What was so important to him that he stole a device and its research, that wasn't close to being completed, from G.D. and brought it back to his place?

"Zane," Carter called out knocking on the door, "Open up."

Hearing quick. loud movements inside I realized that Zane was trying to hide whatever he was doing. What exactly that was I had no idea, but I wasn't leaving until I did.

"Hey Sheriff Carter," Zane smiled opening his door, "Dr. Stark. What's going on?"

"You tell us," Carter started staring at the man.

"Nothing to tell."

"So you don't know anything about a device that was stolen from G.D.?"

"Nope."

"Then you won't mind us coming in."

Without another word Carter brushed past Zane and started to look around his house. I hadn't actually seen Carter when he was working, at least not in this capacity before.

He moved quickly, but carefully through the house until he came across a table that was covered with a sheet. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Zane twitch slightly, but nothing else.

"Stark," Carter said pulling the cloth away, "This the device you're missing?"

"Yes," I nodded looking it over, "What were you thinking, Donovan? Do you not know how dangerous this is?"

"I do," Zane answered quickly, "But I had a really good reason."

"And what exactly is that?"

"I was going…I can't…I can't tell you."

"Zane."

"I promised that I wouldn't tell anyone until I knew whether or not I could actually do this."

"This experiment is deadly."

"That's what I'm trying to fix."

"There is no way to fix it yet."

"I have to try."

"Why?"

"Because I have to help him!"

The room went quiet when Zane yelled that. It had never occurred to me that the man was trying to help someone. It seemed more likely that he was trying to do something harmful.

Looking at Carter's face though I knew that I had been the only one to think that. He believed enough in the good of people that helping another was the first thought that came to his mind.

That or he knew Zane a lot better than I did. I wasn't sure that was the case, but he did know that there was something bigger going on than just Zane stealing a device from G.D.

"Zane," Carter sighed, "Stark told me about this device. How far from complete it is."

"I can fix that," Zane quickly spoke, "I just need to figure some things out, but I can fix it."

"Why is this so important?"

"I can't…"

"Zane. Who are you helping?"

Zane looked between Carter and I almost sending both of us a pleading look. He was trying to protect someone from us and that thought sent an unpleasant shot through my body.

I knew that a lot of people were afraid of me, when the time was right I liked that, but to have someone feel like they needed to protect someone from me was something completely different.

Add the fact that Zane felt the need to protect this person from Carter as well it was an even bigger blow. The Sheriff was one of the nicest people, to everyone else at least, that I had ever met.

No, whatever was going on here Zane felt like everyone else was the enemy. He wanted to keep this person safe and he wanted to help him even if that meant getting in trouble himself.

"Zane," I prompted.

"Vance Cult," Zane sighed.

"Who?"

"You might know him as Holly Cult."

Holly Cult was ten year old girl who had moved here with her parents after we saw some of the thing she was working on in the medical field. She might be young, but she was brilliant.

I hadn't talked to her very often over the past year that she'd been here, but I did remember her clearly. The girl always had a smile on her face and was extremely kind and generous.

It hit me then that Zane had called Holly Vance. Is that what he was trying to do? He was trying to help Holly change into Vance. But why exactly would they need to do that?

"Start from the beginning, Zane," Carter calmly said.

"I was walking through the woods one day, looking of this clearing I know, when I heard this crying," Zane started, "I went towards it and saw this little girl just sitting there bawling her eyes out. Honestly, I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I was going to go over and offer to bring her back and call her parents when I saw something.

Her wrists were bleeding. Not a lot, but still they were bleeding even from where I stood I could see that the wounds were self-inflicted. Without thinking I rushed over to her incase she was going to try to…Try to hurt herself more. When I got there she fought against me until she just stopped fighting and was crying. She ended up crying herself to sleep in my arms.

I didn't know her name or where she was from, so I took her to my place. I just wanted to make sure that she was alright and help her get the help that she needed for whatever made her want to…Made her want to…Want to…Kill herself. I wasn't going to let her go back out there without knowing that she had someone that was willing to look out for her

She was asleep for almost two hours, which gave me enough time to clean her wrists. When she came to she refused to speak for awhile so I did. I ended up telling her about this friend I had that was a lesbian that's now working at this publishing company. Her eyes filled with hope when I said that.

She asked what I thought about people that were Transgender and I told her that I didn't care if a person was gay, straight, lesbian, bi, transgender or anything like that and she started to cry again. The only difference was she told me that she was wrong. That she had been born in the wrong body.

I asked what her parents thought and she curled up even tighter and I knew…I knew that she was being hurt by them because they refused to believe her. It wasn't until a month ago that I found out she was being hurt physically too. I tried to get her to come to you, but she refused and said she'd deny it if I went to you myself. She didn't trust me at all.

So I decided that I'd do what I could to help her and this idea came to my mind about a device that changed your gender. When I saw that we already had one and that it was shelved I figured that I'd try to fix it myself and then I'd be able to Holly with everything.

I'm the only one that knows that it's Vance, not Holly. That he's being abused. That he's…That he's suicidal. I just want to do something that will help him and this was the only thing I could think of. Please, Dr. Stark. Let me try. He's only ten."

Staring at the young man I realized that he was practically begging me to let him continue his project. And he was doing it all because of a little girl…No, all because of a little boy stuck in the wrong body.

How had I not seen it before? Was Ho…Vance really all that good at hiding who she…He was? Or was this one of those times where I had just not seen what was going on right in front of my face?

"We need to talk to Vance," I nodded.

"He won't talk to you," Zane shook his head.

"Get him to. Because as soon as he's out of that house and somewhere safe I'll help you with the device and we'll get Vance the help he needs too."

Zane looked between Carter and I once more before nodded his head slowly. It looked like he was going to try to help us help Vance. He walked out of the room while taking out his phone leaving Carter and I alone.

For the first time since Zane started talking I looked over at the Sheriff. I could barely believe it, but underneath that calm mask that he had on I could see the emotions he was trying to hide.

He was just as sickened as I was by everything that had happened. It was actually good to know that we were going to have the man behind us if Vance's parents did try anything.

"Abby asked what I would do if our child was gay or lesbian or transgender," Carter said without any prompting, "At the time I didn't know. Then I held Zoë for the first time and I swore I would never let anything like that affect how much I loved my daughter."

"Not everyone is as advanced as that," I calmly stated.

"Did you just call me 'advanced'?"

"When it comes to your and other people children? Yes, Carter, you're advanced."

"Vance agreed to come," Zane walked in, "But he doesn't trust you. So go easy on him?"

The house was quiet as we waited for Vance to show up. I hadn't thought that all of this was going to come into light when Fargo told me about the missing device. It was much more than anything that had come to mind.

It was almost ten minutes later when the front door opened. A little girl walked awkwardly into the room her light green dress swaying slightly with every movement as her black hair bounced.

She looked exactly what you thought a little girl would look like. That was until you looked into her ocean blue eyes. How had I missed that heartbreaking sad look that was in her eyes before now?

"Hey, Vance," Zane smiled slightly.

Hearing Zane say that name the child flinched back. It seemed that she…he had no idea how he was supposed to react to Carter and I. Though if Zane was right about the abuse I wasn't surprised.

"Vance," Carter kneeled down, "We have met before. I'm Sheriff Jack Carter."

"H-Hi," Vance stuttered out.

"Zane was telling us about your parents. He said that they were hurting you."

"The-They lo-love me."

"Hitting your child is not love. Vance, we can help you, but you have to talk to us."

Vance stared at Carter for a few more moments before looking up at Zane. For as much as Zane kept saying that Vance didn't trust him I could see the love and trust in his eyes.

Zane nodded his head once letting a small smile play on his lips before the child looked back over at Carter. Seemed Vance did trust Zane to know what the right thing to do was.

"If I…If I tell," Vance started stumbling over his words, "What hap-happens…To me?"

"You can stay here," Zane quickly spoke, "I'll take care of you."

"But you have lots to do."

"I've been taking care of you months now, Vance. I'm more than happy to keep doing that."

Vance stared at Zane before throwing his arms around his legs tears streaming down his face. The small grew on Zane's lips as he dropped down and hugged the child back.

"I told…I told them," Vance spoke after a moment, "I was…wrong. I tried. They hit…They hit me. They haven't stop-stopped."

Carter nodded his head before moving so he was in front of Vance. His movements were slow so the child could see everything. Soon Carter's hand was resting on Vance's back comfortingly.

"You're parents were wrong, Vance," I spoke softly, "There's nothing wrong with being Transgender. Hitting your child is wrong. Hurting yourself is wrong. And we're going to help you."

"I'm bad," Vance shook his head.

"No, you're not bad. This is a difficult situation for you, but you are not bad. You're Transgender, Vance. I know you're smart enough to know what that means and to know there's nothing wrong with that."

"Mom and Dad said I'm not smart enough."

"Your parents was wrong. You're brilliant. Do you want to know why they did what they did?"

"Why?"

"Because you're everything their not. You're brilliant, kind, and you know who you are. Their scared and they don't like that. It's no reflection on you. And everything on them."

"But they don't want me."

"Zane does. Zane loves you. Carter and I care about you as well. And we're going to help you with all of this. You're not going to do this alone and you're going to know just how amazing you are."

"I'm amazing?"

"You are, Vance."

"I'm safe?"

"Yes, Vance. You're safe. We'll keep you safe."


End file.
